Vegetable and Barley Stew

This is comfort food at its best. Lovely tender root veg with soft barley and then served with crusty bread, its a delight for those cold winter evenings. Mine turned into a kind of barley risotto really but was just delicious. The original recipe calls you to make dumplings on top of the stew at the end, but I had so much bread to use up that I just made the stew and served it with bread.

 

Vegetable and Barley Stew (adapted from Good Food Magazine January 2011)

(Serves 6)

 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 leeks, thickly sliced
1/2 swede, chopped into chunks
2 parsnips, chopped into chunks
2 large carrots, chopped into chunks
2 portobello mushrooms, chopped into chunks
175g pearl barley
225ml white wine
1l vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
small bunch parsley, finely chopped

Heat oil in a large casserole dish. Add onion and cook for 5-6 mins until starting to soften and brown. Add the garlic and leeks for 2 mins, then stir in swede, parsnips and carrots.

Pour in barley and wine, cook until wine has reduced by half. Add stock, bay, thyme, parsley and seasoning. Cover pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 mins until barley and veg are tender. Stir occasionally to stop it catching. Add in the mushrooms and simmer for another 15 mins. Serve with crusty bread.